On Thursday, 27 June 2024, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a T20 series for its Under-19 women’s team against Namibia and the Eastern Storm. This series serves as preparation for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia and Thailand, scheduled for early 2025.
The South Africa U-19 women’s team will face the two senior sides from 01 – 06 July, with all matches held at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The tour will feature a total of 10 T20 matches between the three teams.
The 18-player squad selected to represent the South Africa U19 Women includes five rising stars from last year’s World Cup: Nthabiseng Nini, Seshnie Naidu, Kayla Reyneke, Simone Lourens, and Jemma Botha.
South Africa Under-19 Women Squad (For T20 Series against Namibia and Eastern Storm):
Lethabo Bidli (Central Gauteng Lions), Jemma Botha (Western Province), Fay Cowling (Central Gauteng Lions), Jae-Leigh Filander (Western Province), Janicke Janse van Rensburg (Northerns), Simone Lourens (Northerns), Chanel Madurai (Kwa-Zulu Natal Coastal), Neo Molefe (Central Gauteng Lions), Shelfa Mukhari (Limpopo), Seshnie Naidu (Kwa-Zulu Natal Coastal), Nthabiseng Nini (North West), Diara Ramlakan (Central Gauteng Lions), Kayla Reyneke (Western Province), Mieke van Voorst (Easterns), Diedre van Rensburg (North West), Ashleigh van Wyk (Easterns), Chanel Venter (Northerns), Jane Verhage (Northerns).
The selected group of players emerged from a series of regional camps that were held nationwide in South Africa.
South Africa U19 women’s head coach, Dinesha Devnarain, highlighted the significance of the upcoming tour, emphasizing the importance of playing matches against any opposition. She pointed out that Namibia’s team, being a senior women’s team, provides a valuable opportunity to test their young players against a well-performing team, allowing them to gauge their progress as a unit.
“This tour is paramount. Any cricket against any opposition is pivotal and the ability to play games is going to be key. If you take Namibia’s team that’s coming out, that’s a senior women’s team, so what a great opportunity to put our young guns against a team that’s doing relatively well and let’s see where we are as a unit,” Dinesha stated.
She further stated that the primary focus is on establishing their brand of cricket, which has been in development for some time. This brand is aggressive and aligns with Cricket South Africa’s overall philosophy.
“The focus for us right now is nailing our brand of cricket. It’s been a brand of cricket that’s been around for a while. It’s really exciting. It’s an aggressive brand of play and it fits very beautifully with what we are trying to achieve here at Cricket South Africa and the brand and philosophy that we want to play,” she stated.
Devnarain expressed her excitement to see this approach in action, having observed promising glimpses during camps. Now, with a proper series and opposition, the challenge is to see if they can execute their strategy effectively as a team.
Fixtures – South Africa U19 Women’s T20 Series against Namibia & Eastern Storm Women (01 – 06 July) (Local Time)
Monday, 01 July @ 9:30am – 1st T20: South Africa U19 v Eastern Storm (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Monday, 01 July @ 1:30pm – 2nd T20: South Africa U19 v Namibia (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Tuesday, 02 July @ 9:30am – 3rd T20: Eastern Storm v Namibia (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Tuesday, 02 July @ 1:30pm – 4th T20: South Africa U19 v Eastern Storm (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Thursday, 04 July @ 9:30am – 5th T20: South Africa U19 v Namibia (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Thursday, 04 July @ 1:30pm – 6th T20: Eastern Storm v Namibia (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Friday, 05 July @ 9:30am – 7th T20: South Africa U19 v Eastern Storm (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Friday, 05 July @ 1:30pm – 8th T20: South Africa U19 v Namibia (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Saturday, 06 July @ 9:30am – 9th T20: Eastern Storm v Namibia (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Saturday, 06 July @ 1:30pm – 10th T20: South Africa U19 v Namibia (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
(Quotes sourced from SuperSport)